Ballistic protective combat helmet shells are formed from several layers of impregnated fabric each having a hemispherical shape. The layers are then compiled and compression molded to form the untrimmed helmet shell. Each fabric layer is formed from various fabric segments which may be taped, glued, or sewn together.
French Publication Girard No. 2,421,361 discloses one such method for forming the individual fabric layers in which a plurality of U-shaped fabric segments and a circular crown piece are tailored together edge to edge to obtain the hollow helmet form. While this system reduces the amount of fabric required to form one liner, it employs fabric segments of different shapes, including a circular crown piece, and considerable overlapping of the fabric segments.